5 Gourmet Food Top Picks Gift Ideas

These gourmet food top picks gift ideas will help you create a great gourmet gift basket for chef’s and gourmet hobbyists who are sometimes hard to shop for. Finding a great gourmet food gift for the budding or experienced gourmet doesn’t have to be a long, confusing process. Since many chefs and gourmet hobbyists already have various utensils, pots and pans, it is sometimes hard to purchase cookware or other items. The following gourmet food top picks make great gifts for any chef or gourmet hobbyist. These food items are inexpensive, appropriate for any occasion and will definitely be used by the chef or gourmet hobbyist.

While many pre-made gift baskets can be purchased through retailers, it is often a token of special friendship and love when the gift-giver prepares the basket themselves. Gourmet gift baskets can be any basket, box, or decorative bag that can hold the items discussed. Baskets in a wide variety can be found at peterborobasket.com. The following five gourmet food top picks gift ideas are designed with originality in mind.

Gourmet Food Top Picks: CheesesAs gourmet food top picks, an arrangement of cheeses is always a favorite accompaniment to gourmet dining and gourmet gift baskets. It is important to think of the storage, handling and cutting of cheeses when arranging gourmet gift baskets.

Cheese should be refrigerated at 35 to 40 °F when not being used to create the gourmet gift basket. It is important to remember that gourmet food top pick cheeses should be left in the original wrapper until they are served or prepared for the gourmet gift basket. Store cheeses separate from other foods to prevent flavour contamination. Leftover portions of cheese should be wrapped tightly in plastic because cheese that is exposed to air will begin to grow mold and dehydrate. When making the gourmet gift basket of cheeses, include colorful plastic wraps. Other gourmet gift basket ideas include sharp cheese cutting knives, such as a good utility knife, curved prong-tipped knife and open-hole blade knife.

The utility knife is good for hard and semi-hard cheeses while curved prong-tipped knives are good for are for hard cheeses and open-hole blades for soft cheeses. Another idea is a small marble cutting board that adds substance and color to the gourmet food gift basket. Adding the right utensils to the gourmet food gift basket is a great gourmet food top pick idea.

The most popular cheeses for a gourmet food top picks are Brie, Blue and Cheddar. The Brie cheeses are very popular and hailed as the best in the world, making them an original and tasteful gourmet gift idea. Brie cheeses are distinctive gourmet gift idea because of their soft white exterior and creamy, buttery interior that ‘oozes’ when the cheese is ripe. Brie is served at room temperature and is best when left in its wrapper to retain flavor. Brie cheese is typically served with fruits like cherries, cranberries, raisins and nuts. Adding these items to the gourmet food gift basket makes a great arrangement of fruit, cheeses and nuts. For a special gourmet food top pick idea, the wines that compliment Brie are champagne, red wines, beers and cider.

Blue cheese is another popular addition to any gourmet gift basket. The blue ‘veins’ that streak through the cheese are its most noticeable characteristic. These veins are actually types of mold that are stirred or injected into the cheese. To add to the gourmet gift basket, blue cheese goes great with any salad, bread and most fruits. The gourmet food top picks gift basket addition is a good port wine or robust red wine.

Traditional cheddar cheese is usually everyone’s favorite! This cheese is pale yellow, sharp-tasting cheese originally hails from the village Cheddar, in Somerset, England. Cheddar cheese comes in a variety of yellows and flavors, ranging from extremely mild to very sharp taste and aroma. This is a very versatile cheese that can used in nearly any meal or snack.

As an added gourmet food top pick, purchase a variety of smoked cheddar cheeses. Nearly any wine can be added to the cheddar cheese gourmet gift baskets.

Gourmet Food Top Picks: Herbs and Edible FlowersHerbs make excellent gourmet food top picks for gift ideas that are often overlooked as gourmet gift ideas. Designing a gourmet gift basket from herbs is easy and also shows that the gift giver has done their research and paid attention to gourmet food gifts! Also, herbs and edible flowers can be arranged in much the same way as a flower basket, so they require very little effort. As a gourmet food top pick gift idea, these items are inexpensive, easy to purchase and easy to arrange as a gourmet gift basket.

Herbs include several different plants, roots and leaves. These can be purchased fresh or dried at nearly any health food or gourmet store, including online retailers. Arugula is a leafy vegetable, also refered to as garden rocket, rugola, or rucola. This herb has been hailed as an aphrodisiac in the Mediterranean, where it has been growing since early Roman times. Arugula is often used in salads and pastas, pesto, pizzas as well as meats. If there is a gourmet cheese maker in the family, Arugula is used to make burek. This versatile herb is a gourmet food top pick because it is used in many cooking activities.

Other gourmet food top picks include: chives, cilantro, basil, oregano, thyme and bay leaves. These are very common additions to a gourmet gift basket. These herbs are also high in vitamins and iron. Like arugula, these are used in many salads, pastas and pesto. Cilantro is commonly used in salsa and other Mexican dishes. Natural organic cinnamon is a favorite addition to any gourmet food gift basket. This versatile spice is used in many dishes, including deserts. Cinnamon can be purchased already ground, or it can be purchased in dried sticks.

As a gourmet gift idea, also purchase a cinnamon shaver or grinder that ‘shreds’ or ‘grinds’ natural cinnamon. The flavor of fresh shaven cinnamon is much fresher than pre-shaved or pre-ground cinnamon.

Need more additions to the herb gourmet gift basket? Ask the health food store about edible flowers, rare herbs and natural ingredients. Some edible flowers to consider in the arrangement are dandelions, bachelor buttons, dianthus, oregano flowers, Johnny jump-ups, pansies, marigolds and carnations. Each of these flowers adds color to most salads and even some soups, making them a great gourmet gift idea. They also add color to the gourmet gift basket, making an entertaining and delightful gourmet food top picks gift idea!

Gourmet Food Top Picks: Cruets and Drizzler SetsFor the final gourmet food top picks, specialty oil and vinegar cruets and drizzler sets make excellent gifts. These do not have to be arranged in a gourmet gift basket, but can be if desired. A cruet is a hand blown glass decanter or vessel. These have a lip or spout and stopper for easy pouring. The bottom is flat and the handles are usually very intricate. Many cruets also have an inner glass blown design, such as a grape or onion. They are beautiful, intricate and will bright up any gourmet’s kitchen area. An oil and vinegar drizzler set is a form of cruet, but has an inner ‘drip’ device that allows for easy sprinkling and measurement of the oil or vinegar. Drizzler sets usually come in threes, but can also be found in singles or doubles. Prices range from as low as 20 dollars up to several hundred dollars for the specialty flavors and designs. These gourmet gifts bring the flavor of European gourmet specialty to the table. The most intricate and costly cruets and drizzler sets can be ordered from France where they originated.

As a gourmet gift, these are original and make any occasion extra-special. These gourmet food top picks can come in nearly any flavor of oil or vinegar.

Popular flavors include Balsamic vinegar and olive oil, each of which can have added flavors ranging from onion to rosemary. The higher cost vinegars and oils have been naturally aged for about twenty years, though many are not aged as long. Truffle oils are also a popular and rare gourmet food top picks.

Gourmet food top picks range from very inexpensive cheese and herb gourmet gift baskets to hand blown, intricate cruets and decanters. To make a special gourmet gift basket, include a sampling of all items listed. This gives the gift of variety and covers all of the bases just in case the gourmet already has one or more of the items. Cheese gourmet gift baskets can be purchased in the basket or made from scratch. An herb gourmet gift basket can be created easily with a visit to an online herb and edible flower retailer, such as prideofsanjuan.com. Both cheese and herbs can be purchased at any organic or natural food store. As the final gourmet food top picks, cruets and drizzler sets are the easiest, requiring very little preparation, but also may be the most costly. These can be purchased at cruets.com, which offers the widest online selection of oil, vinegars, cruets and drizzler sets.

Making one or more of these gourmet food top picks into a gourmet gift basket is easy and not costly. A gourmet gift basket can be made from one, two, or all three gourmet gift ideas at relatively low cost. All of these great gourmet gifts can be used year round and are perfect for nearly any occasion.

How Much Do You Know About Food?You know that brownies taste better when they're just out of the oven and that cranberry sauce will taste bitter if you don't add enough sugar. But do you know who invented the brownie or how to select the ripest cranberries? Aside from knowing which foods you love to curl up with, how much do really know about the history and fun facts of your favorite foods? Find out now.

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